Street Barbers, Creative Block, St. Patrick's Day, Best Headphones, Garden of Eatin', Media for Social Change

Nashville Street Barbers (0:00:00) Hair can be such a funny thing. It seems like one day your hair is the perfect length, and then all of a sudden a week goes by and it looks like your head is out of control. It can be easy to take a haircut for granted, especially when there are so many people living in our country that can’t afford one. Without a proper haircut, it can be hard for people to find jobs, connect with people around them, or even have self-confidence in public.This issue is what inspired the creation of Nashville Street Barbers, a group of barbers in Tennessee that get together every Monday evening to give out free haircuts to the homeless in their community. Joining us today is Caroline Lindner, co-founder of Nashville Street Barbers, to discuss with us her organization and the power of a haircut. Creative Block (0:14:17) Have you ever been working full steam ahead on a project, only to encounter a setback and find that you’ve totally run out of steam? This phenomena, commonly called writer’s block or creative block, is incredibly common, and can be incredibly frustrating for those encountering it. So, what can we do? We’ve asked Eliot Peper, a bestselling novelist who has authored sevenchart-topping sci fi books. Lucky Charms and St. Patrick's Day (0:30:21) Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! It's the holiday when we celebrate the patron saint of rainbows, good luck, and leprechauns. On this day we can also pinch people if they’re not wearing green. Maybe you love this holiday, maybe you roll your eyes at all the festivities. Whatever your feelings toward St. Patrick’s Day, there’s a lot of interesting history behind all the goofiness associated with it. Here to explain the history and traditions of Saint Patrick’s Day is Reverend Dr. Patricia M Lyons, who teaches atthe Virginia Theological Seminary. Best Headphones (0:50:40) The popular choice of headphones these days are the wireless ones. With these, you don’t have to be constantly frustrated with your headphone cords always getting tangled in your pocket. But, wireless isn’t the only option. With so many new brands and styles on the market, where should you start? Wireless? Over-the-ear? Noise Cancelling?To help us choose we’ve invited Lauren Dragan, an audio writer for wirecutter.com, to share her headphone recommendations and tips for picking your perfect pair. Garden of Eatin' (1:12:14) At some point in your life, you’ve probably donated to a food pantry. You’ve rounded up the extra cans of food in your house, put them in a bag, and sent them to school with your child for the school’s food drive. That’s great and it really helps those in need, but what if that’s all they’re getting—cans of corn or refried beans every night. That can’t be a healthy diet. To help address this issue, Andy Berg created the Garden of Eatin’ in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The garden produces thousands of pounds of fresh produce that are donated to local food pantries and soup kitchens. Andy is here to tell us all about it. Media for Social Change (1:24:29) Have you ever heard of the Tulsa Race Massacre? Neither had a lot of people, including many residents of Tulsa. Butafter the new HBO series “The Watchmen” included it as a central part of one of its episodes, Oklahoma public schools will be including it in its history curriculum as of next fall. Is this a coincidence or an example of the power pop culture has to enact social change? Here to share their thoughts on the subject are our friends and media experts Karen and Lee Shackelford.